Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani likely won't be ready to pitch for the Dodgers by Opening Day in Japan.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who revealed the news to reporters at Baseball's winter meetings on Monday, expected Ohtani to be in Los Angeles' lineup as a designated hitter.
The Dodgers will open the 2025 season on March 18th with two consecutive games against the Cubs at Tokyo Dome.
Roberts said it's “very unlikely” the two-way player will be ready to take the mound on Opening Day.
“I don't think you can start the clock in March and keep it running continuously through October,” Roberts said. According to USA Today. “If that happens, we'll need a break or a reprieve in the middle of the season, so we don't know. I still think it's unlikely.”
Ohtani hasn't pitched since 2023, when he was with the Angels, and was unable to pitch in his first year with the Dodgers due to elbow surgery in September of that year.
The Dodgers superstar underwent another arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder last month.
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Roberts said Los Angeles is preparing to be cautious once Ohtani returns to the mound.
“It's going to be interesting,” Roberts told reporters. “Because I continued to rehab my left shoulder and keep it strong and maintain it and maintain it throughout my body.Then I went through pitch planning, pitching side sessions, went to batter meetings to get ready and as a DH. I will strengthen my preparation for going to bat.”
Ohtani is coming off a season in which he had a batting average of .310, a league-leading on-base percentage of .390, and a slugging percentage of .646.
The superstar unanimously won the MVP award, becoming the first player to hit at least 50 home runs (54) and steal more than 50 bases (59) in a season.
